Breakout UK Punks IDLES Bring Love is the Fing Tour to Marathon Music Works Tonight, Sept. 16

One of the most exciting rock groups to come out of the UK in the last decade, frenetic and layered punk outfit IDLES first formed in 2009 in Bristol, England, where frontman Joe Talbot and bassist Adam Devonshire- friends from attending school together previously- had moved for university. Though they commanded a local following early on, IDLES took took their time to hone their sound and live show, spending several years playing at small clubs, releasing early EPs like 2012’s Welcome and 2015’s Meat, and gradually attracting the attention of the British music press. By 2017, their hype had finally begun to grow, and that year’s debut full-length, Brutalism, proved to be a lauded introduction, showcasing the band’s early punk rock ferocity, sonic complexity, and Talbot’s angry and anguished lyrics, both lashing at British socioeconomic issues and navigating his own grief at the loss of his mother. Just a year later, IDLES expanded the scope of their sound with sophomore LP Joy as an Act of Resistance, incorporating elements of post-punk and post-hardcore, and broadening the intensity, political critique, and personal anguish in subject matter, with Talbot this time dealing with the loss of a child.

The band remained prolific as they played increasingly larger shows and received major awards in the UK (while also breaking through in America, playing early Nashville dates at spots like The High Watt), and released adventurous third album Ultra Mono in 2020, amidst the Covid lockdown, with universally praised, mainstream breakout Crawler just a year later, embracing even more musical experimentation both with more intense hardcore and noise-rock elements and also more layered and electronic production, all the while retaining the anger and intensity which fueled prior efforts. Able to tour again and experiencing a significant boost in attention post-Crawler, the last few years have seen the group play considerably larger shows outside of the UK, appear at major fests like Coachella and last year’s Re:SET, and even land Grammy nominations, which led their latest, this year’s TANGK, to be IDLES’ most-anticipated release ever. And, though quite different from everything they’ve done before, helmed by the band’s own Mark Bowen, legendary Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and contemporary DJ and producer Kenny Beats, best known for his work in hip hop, it’s a fantastic culmination of the group’s last decade, adopting a little more sonic restraint and introspection, and even finding peace from some of the lyrical ferocity, while still sounding decidedly IDLES.

Renowned for their live show, which has been forged over 15 years on stages of all sizes, and which we last saw on dazzling full display at Bonnaroo, IDLES are set to return to Nashville tonight, Sept. 16 with buzzy British indie rock outfit English Teacher, for their first Music City headliner in a few years. TANGK is, without a doubt, of the year’s best records, and IDLES have to be experienced in person to be fully appreciated. If you’d like do just that, a few tickets still remain right here!

IDLES and English Teacher will perform tonight, Sept. 16 at Marathon Music Works. The show is all ages, begins at 7:45 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.), and tickets are available for $58.64.